Factoids About Armenia & Karabakh

Demographics

• Population, as of January 1, 2010, is 3,245,900, which is 10,900 or .04% more than the population of a year ago. Two-thirds (65%) live in urban areas; 1, 666,500; rural. The number of urban dwellers exceeds rural dwellers in Lori, Kotaik, Shirak and Siunik. Rural population exceeds urban population in Aragatsotn, Ararat, Armavir, Gegharkunik, Vayots Dzor and Tavush. Yerevan’s population (one-third) is 1,100,000 (in 1920, it was 30,000).
• Artsakh’s population, as of March 2009, is 137,700; Javakhk’s (Georgia) population is 180,000.
• There were 10,689 births (as compared with 10,173 in 2009), 4429 marriages, 742 divorces and 7259 deaths in Armenia during the first quarter of 2010.
• 191 children were born in February 2010 in Artsakh, as compared with 202 in the same month in 2009. There were 112 deaths, as compared to 110 in Feb. 2009. In Feb. 2010, there were 55 marriages and 9 divorces, as compared with 30 marriages and 9 divorces in Feb. 2009. 141 persons established residence in Artsakh in Feb. 2010, as opposed to 85 in Feb. 2009. The number of persons who departed was 23, compared to 28 in Feb. 2009.
• There were 44, 999 births in 2009; 41,406-454 in 2008; 40,844 in 2007.
• There were 10, 610 births in the first quarter of 2010, representing a 7.2% increase from the same period last year. In the first four months of 2010, there were 6,387 births in Yerevan, which is higher than the number for the same period in 2009 by 1,992. In April 2010, there were 214 births in the region of Gegharkunik.
• There were 18,765 marriages in 2009; 18, 236 in 2008; 18, 144 in 2007.
• There were 4,430 marriages in the first quarter of 2010, as compared with 4,569 in the same period last year, which represents a decrease of 3%.
• There were 3,013 divorces in 2009; 3,192 in 2008; 3,083 in 2007.
• There were 709 divorces in the first quarter of 2010, as opposed to 715 in the same period last year, which represents an 8% decrease.
• There were 27, 268 deaths in 2009; 27,281 in 2008; 26,827 in 2007.
• The number of deaths in the first quarter of 2010 decreased by 7.3%, in comparison with the previous years. As a result, Armenia’s population has increased by 3,331 to 3,251,900. There are fewer deaths of mother and child; however, there has been an increase in the number of deaths resulting from accidents, poisoning and injuries.
• 141 residents are 100 or more years old; 37,000 are over 80; 408,000 (12.7%) are over 65. Approximately 10 percent live alone. There are 3 private and 4 state homes for the elderly, in which 1,100 individuals reside.
• Women have greater longevity in Armenia than men. The average longevity overall is 73.6 years; for women, it is 76.9, while only 70.4 years for men.
• 158,756 disabled persons, including 8,960 children, were registered in Armenia in 2008. As of the end of March 2009, that number had increased to 170,950; however, the number of children had decreased to 8,706. As of January 1, 2010, the number had increased to 179,257, including 8,358 children.
• The government pays for medical treatment of only 8% of Armenia’s population.
• As of May 1, 2010, the government allocated 430,000 drams to 2125 families for each third and more children. During the same period, 50,000 drams were allocated to 12,683 families for each first and second child.
• 4,306 families with three or more children received 300,000 drams ($1,000) from the government in 2008. In 2007, the number of such families was 2,654, and they each received 200,000 drams. The government allocated 430,000 drams in 2009 to 7,400 families for the same purpose.

At the Cascade Complex, Yerevan / via flickr.com/-john-

• Twenty-six percent of children in Armenia are poor, 3% of whom live in extreme poverty. Nevertheless, this represents an improvement from the 2004 figure of 38 percent.
• As of July 1, 2009, there are 121,280 families registered for receipt of government assistance, as opposed to 122,604 families the previous year. In 2009, 107,400 families received poverty subsidy, while 13,880 received financial assistance.
• As of January 10, 2010, pensions were allocated to 27,100 individuals in 2009, as follows: public pension for 4,274 persons; 8,834 for disability pension. Overall, as of December 31, 2009, pensions were allocated to 498,344 individuals. As of January 1, 2010, the number of pensioners was 522,835 – 9,100 military pensioners and the rest, 518,000, social and insurance pensioners. Average pension in Armenia is 24,500 drams or $63.1. Yerevan has the highest number: 180,700.
• Private remittances to Armenia totaled $261.7 million in the first quarter of 2010, representing a 0.03% drop ($86,000) as compared with the same period of last year. Russia was highest, with $162.8 million, followed by the US with $29.5 million and Germany with $4.7 million. $665,000 was sent from Turkey.
• During the first quarter of 2010, private remittances from Armenia totaled $138.6 million, representing a 5.4 percent increase over the amount sent during the same period of the previous year ($131.5 million).
• 77 percent of the native population prefers to live in their homeland, according to a Gallup poll.
• Number of emigrants from Armenia between 1990 and 2010 is estimated to be 1,000,000. Two-thirds went to Russia, 9% to other former Soviet republics, 15% to Europe, and 10% to the United States. Two-thirds of the emigrants cite economic reasons. According to a UN report released in May 2010, the number is between 700,000 and 1,300,000.
• According to UN statistics, 6,226 native Armenians sought refuge in 44 other countries in 2009, representing a 43 percent increase and 2.5 times the number of Azeris having sought similar refuge.
• 95,000 individuals left Armenia in the first quarter of 2010 – a 7.1% increase over the same period last year.
• There were 16 applications for asylum in Armenia in the first quarter of 2010 – 6 from Iraq, the others from Iran and African countries.
• There are 492,000 immigrants to Armenia, who constitute 16.1% of the population. 360,000 forced immigrants have come to Armenia from Azerbaijan, 160,000 of whom have left Armenia. 72,000 individuals have moved from the border areas to the central regions of Armenia.
• 4,323 individuals obtained Armenian citizenship in 2009 – two and a half the number in the 11-year period from 1997 to 2007, which was 1,735. In 2008 alone, 1,554 individuals were granted Armenian citizenship.
• In the past three years, there has been a gradual increase in the number of repatriates: 103 in 2007, 101 in 2008, and 148 in 2009.
• There are still 300,000 Armenian refugees from Baku living in Armenia, out of the 410,000 who came as a result of the massacres in their home town in 1990.
• Of the 360,000 refugees having taken refuge in Armenia after the Sumgait massacres of 1988, 1,200 indigent families are still waiting for the deed to their residence. More than 40 million dollars are needed to ensure these refugee families with residences; however, the State has not allocated any sum of its 2010 budget due to the economic crisis. Previously, the sum of 815 million drams had been envisioned for the same purpose in 2009 and 2008. (Source: Gagik Yeganian, head of the agency for refugees of the Armenia’s Ministry of Territorial Governance, Feb. 26, 2010)
• According to International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC), 4, 505 people are considered missing in Armenia, Artsakh and Azerbaijan as a result of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict – 371 women, 4,131 men and 108 teenagers.
• According to the Red Cross, there are more than 800 individuals lost without a trace from Armenia and Karabakh – 401 from Armenia and 457 from Karabakh.
• The eleven minorities registered in the 2001 census make up 2.5% of the population – Russians, Yezidis, Greeks, Assyrians, Kurds, Jews, Ukrainians, Georgians, Belarusians, etc. Minorities have lived in Armenia since the middle of the 19th century.
• 702 cases of AIDS were recorded in Armenia from 1988 to March 1, 2009. As of January 21, 2010, there were 823 individuals with AIDS. 149 new cases were registered in 2009. Since 1988, there have been 200 recorded cases of death from AIDS.

Fog in Armenia / via flickr.com/zsoolt

• In 2009, there were 8 state-run children’s homes or orphanages, with 935 children, plus 4 private orphanages with 200-250 children. As of March 11, 2010 (Armenpress), there were approximately 830 children in the 8 orphanages, 400 of whom were in specialized facilities.
• There are 10,000 cases of interrupted pregnancy in Armenia.
• One out of every three women in Armenia has a sexually transmitted disease. The spread begins with those aged 16-17; 30-35% of those in the 18-28 age group are infected.
• As of mid-September 2009, 440 of Armenia’s 915 communities (5438 rural and 2 urban) or 48% of Armenian communities had a population less than 1,000. The two urban communities with a population of less than 1,000 were the town of Shamlogh in the Lori province and Dastakert in the Syunik province. 200 out of 866 rural communities, or 23%, had 300 or fewer inhabitants; 75 communities, or 8.6%, 301-500; 163 communities, or 18.8%, 501-1000. 26 urban communities, or 53% of them all, had less than 15,000 residents. On average, 3,599 people lived in one community; excluding the city of Yerevan, the index drops to 2,391 people. 49 of 915 communities were urban; the others were rural. As of January 1, 2009, the biggest rural community was Akhourian village of the Shirak province, with 10,052 residents; the smallest was the village of Upper Shorzha in the Gegharkunik province, with 24 residents.
• Poverty increased to 28.4 percent (90,000 people) in the second quarter of 2009, as opposed to 25.6 percent for the same period of 2008. 107,000 people, or 6.9 percent, were in extreme poverty.
• As of the beginning of April 2010, there were 4,585 persons in jail, 134 of whom were foreign citizens. 94 individuals are imprisoned for life.
• As of the end of February 2010, 71 percent of young families faced housing problems, but only 4-5 percent of them were able to solve their problem by receiving credit, based on studies conducted in 2007-2009. Minimum monthly income required to cover living expenses and pay on the debt is 300,000 dram.
• As of March 2, 2010, there were 99,700 persons in Armenia looking for work – a 4.8% increase over last year. 83,600 of them are unemployed, representing a 10.4% increase over last year.
• Twenty-eight percent of adults, specifically 55% of men and 12% of women, are smokers in Armenia. 37.5% of tobacco products are imported into Armenia, while nearly 62.5% of tobacco is produced in Armenia, with total annual turnover of $200 million. A survey conducted in 1986-1987 showed that 70% of the 3,000 cancer patients were smokers, while 60% of all smokers were men.

Tourism

• 588,000 tourists, 60% being diasporan Armenians, visited Armenia in 2008 – an increase of 9.4% from 2007.
• The number of tourists visiting Karabakh increased by 15% in 2008.
• 422,807 tourists visited Armenia in the first nine months of 2009 – an increase from 399,691 for the same period in 2008. More than 650,000 tourists are expected to visit in 2010 – an increase of 7-10%.
• 93,000 tourists visited Armenia in the first quarter of 2010 – an increase of 9.4% when compared with the same period last year.

A wishing tree in Armenia / photo by Winfried Wermirzowski, via flickr.com/whltravel

Topography

• In the liberated territories of Karabakh, there are approximately 1,500 specimens of archeological, architectural and historical monuments.
• 24,200 monuments are included in the state list of protected monuments in Armenia.
• There are 980 monuments in Yerevan, 40 of which are slated for rebuilding in the next decade. 401 of these monuments are historical and cultural.
• According to Mercer, Yerevan ranks 174th among the best cities of the world. Vienna ranks first, while the capitals of other former Soviet republics rank as follows: Alma-Ata 175th, Minsk 185th, Baku 196th. Criteria include crime rate, political stability, number of hospitals and quality of medical care, convenience of transportation system, availability of cafes and restaurants, rest places, climatic conditions, level of personal freedom, etc.
• On the territory of contemporary Azerbaijan, there are 3,500 Armenian monuments, the majority of which have been destroyed, as were the Armenian monasteries of Nakhichevan.
• Approximately 40,000 place names in Armenia were changed in 2007 back to their pre-Soviet ones.

Miscellaneous

• More than 1,500 protests against the Republic of Armenia presented to the European Court between April 2002 and September 2008.
• 22 banks are in operation, with 367 branches.
• 1,452 schools (1417 public and 35 private) were in operation in 2007-2008. During the 2009-2010 school year, that number increased to 1,457 (1,404 public, 53 private).
• 1,457 general education establishments are in operation during the current (2009-2010) academic year. Overall, 1,404 of them are state run while 53 are non state. In Yerevan, 220 out of 263 schools are state and 43 non state. There are 585 such schools in urban areas and 872 in rural areas. Yerevan schools have the highest number of pupils – 120,622, of which 115,704 study in state schools and 4,918 in non-state schools. Armavir comes in second, with 37,227 pupils, followed by Aragatsotn with 19,406. Overall, out of 392,946 pupils, 386,954 are studying in state schools, while 5,992 are in non-state schools.
• By January 2011, it is anticipated that 300 more schools will join the internet of Armenia’s schools.
• As of the last day of school in Armenia (May 21), there were 39,000 graduates from Armenia’s schools.
• There were 17,665 college applicants in 2010, including those from NKR. In 2009, the number was 19, 164.
• There were 55 private institutions of higher education, four of which provided only the master’s degree. Four state and three private foreign institutions of higher education had branches outside of Yerevan. (mid-2009).
• There were approximately 6,000 foreign students enrolled in Armenian universities, mainly from Iran and India, as of November 10, 2009. There were approximately 70 students from Armenia studying in universities abroad.
• There were 74 private TV companies and 15 radio stations (as of mid-2009).
• There were 239 patent applications in 2008, as compared with 130 in 2007.
• 41,104 cars were imported in 2008, as compared with 34,672 in 2007. However, imports in 2009 fell by 61.4%.
• 9,271 crimes were registered in 2008 – 10% more than in 2007.
• At the end of 2008, the Yerevan Zoo, the only functioning state zoo in Armenia, had 3,100 animals and birds of 221 types.
• Only 10% of the nearly 5,000 NGOs registered in Armenia are actually functioning. They are active mainly in Yerevan, Gyumri and Vanadzor.
• There were 50 diplomatic representations abroad in 2009, including Lithuania, Japan and Finland. By the end of 2010, Armenia will open new embassies in some European and Near Eastern countries. An embassy was recently opened in Kuwait.
• Since 1991, Armenia’s government has established friendly, diplomatic and economic ties with more than 140 countries, the most recent being Fiji. 26 countries have embassies in Armenia. Armenia has representative/permanent missions in seven international organizations (Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, CIS; Council of Europe; European Union; NATO; Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe; United Nations), and has membership in more than sixty international organizations.
• As of July 13, 2009, the number of companies operating in Armenia with the infusion of Russian capita was 1,010.
• A total of 314 companies with foreign capital were registered in Armenia in 2009, out of a total of 2,465 registered corporate companies.
• Six Armenian cities have a sister-city relationship with 36 foreign cities.
• Twelve Armenian towns have sister-town agreements with 28 towns in different countries of the world [Armenpress, 09/10/09]. Yerevan has 16 sister-towns. A sister-town agreement with the Italian town of Carara was signed in 1973 and with Madagascar’s Antananarivo in 1981. Yerevan’s other sister-towns are Cambridge (MA), Odessa, Tbilisi, Damascus, Kishinev, Beirut, Bratislava, Isfahan, Montreal, San Paolo, Rostov-on-Don, Los Angeles, Nice and Marseilles. Gyumri has sister-town agreements with Alexandria (VA), Thessaloniki (Greece) and Plovdiv (Bulgaria). Artik has agreements with Vio Viel (France); Artashat with Klamar (France); Alaverdi with Kabuleti (Georgia) and St. Ioanirenti (Greece); Sevan with Grenoble (France); Vardenis with Roman (France); Gavar with Novorossiysk; Jermuk with San Rafaelo (France); Etchmiadzin with Fresno, CA. Syunik’s Meghri and Kapan and Iran’s New Julfa and Marand have been declared sister-towns.
• As of November 6, 2009, there were 74 political parties and 5206 public organizations in Armenia.
• As of February 26, 2010, Armenia ranked 101st in the 2009 Failed States Index compiled by Foreign Policy monthly and American Peace Foundation. In the index made up of 177 countries, 38 are “most failed”; 93, including Armenia, are “countries of middle standard”; 33 are “stable”; 13 are “most stable.”
• In 2009, Armenia ranked 120th out of 180 nations, along with Bolivia, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Vietnam, in Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perception Index (CPI). It was ranked 109th in the previous CPI released a year ago (2008).
• Armenia’s economy contracted 18.3 percent in January-September 2009, one of the steepest GDP declines in the world.
• 2,002 traffic accidents in 2009 resulted in the deaths of 325 persons and injuries to 2,753.

Note: All statistics are taken from governmental and nongovernmental reports released via Armenian media outlets. Taken together, they portray various aspects of life in Armenia and Karabakh today. Ararat has not attempted to verify the accuracy of the information.